The Tax Debate to Date: Stay Out of the Weeds!

It is never wise to get down in the thick of the swamp, for that’s where the predators feast. Wade too deeply in the policy minutiae and, in due course, the swamp predators will pepper you with praise and promises to serve you—as dinner on a silver platter of your own purchase.

Consider the tax relief debate. Proponents of tax relief must avoid having their voices lost in the din of mind-numbing statistics and acronyms that could induce an insomniac to slumber but could not rouse the public to embrace legislation needed to spur a dynamic economy and advance their American dreams.

To stop the swamp predators from turning the fruits of your labor into their appetizer, tax relief proponents must wade out of the wonky weeds and make their stand on the concrete and readily discernible truths of American tax policy.

One: If you managed your family budget the way the government manages the federal budget, you wouldn’t be re-elected; you’d be incarcerated.

Imagine you’re “illiquid” (read: “insolvent” or “broke”), maxed out on all your credit cards with no cash in the bank, and your creditors come knocking. Quickly thinking on your seat, through the closed door you shout to your agitated collectors: “Chill, I’m printing more money!” Problem solved! Your creditors will no longer be knocking on your door. It will be the Secret Service coming instead to arrest you for counterfeiting! Perhaps then you can rest in the knowledge that no creditors can hassle you while you’re in jail even if you are still tormented by the fact that your government that is doing the same damn thing legally, if still immorally.

Two: Government doesn’t create wealth; government consumes wealth.

Now insulated from the ominous threat of “body shaming,” tons of our connected fat cats still grow obese noshing on government largesse. Yet, these chubby kitties aren’t rich because the government has created wealth; these chubby kitties are rich because the government redistributed your wealth.

And why do politicians redistribute wealth? Because their idea of “social justice” includes using your money to secure votes and contributions for their re-election. After all, enacting and enforcing compulsory “compassion” and “enlightened” policy ain’t easy, so what’s a little skim off the top amongst friends? And don’t expect a thank-you note. Though the swamp’s predators and their fat cat cronies treat you as their personal piggy bank, the best you can expect from them is an IRS audit.

Three: Government pays for nothing; you pay for everything.

With no hint of irony, the swamp predators who sanctimoniously lecture you that “government must pay for tax cuts” (curbing spending is never an option, it seems) are the same fiscal savants who safeguard your tax dollars with a restraint akin to piranhas in a feeding frenzy. Worse than being insufferable, they’re also flat out wrong. The bogus claim that government must “pay for tax cuts” is premised on the fallacy that your money is their money. Consequently, as all money belongs to the state (and make no mistake, they view themselves as “the state”), you keep not what you earn, but what government deigns you be permitted to have. There is a word for this . . . let me think . . . Oh, yeah, it’s socialism; and, as experience and human history teach, it sucks.

Charitably, this is not to say that all the swamp predators espousing the “government must pay for tax cuts” canard understand its root premise is socialistic. No, that would require reading and understanding, two acts for which swamp predators rarely stand accused.

So, beware: Keep a wary eye open for any swamp predator who uses this canard in the tax relief debate, because if he’s not standing accused of opposing socialism in fiscal policy, he’s likely standing in line to eat you out of house and home.

Content created by the Center for American Greatness, Inc. is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a significant audience. For licensing opportunities of our original content, please contact [email protected].

The Hon. Thaddeus McCotter is the former chairman of the Republican House Policy Committee, current itinerant guitarist, American Greatness contributor, and Monday co-host of the "John Batchelor Show."